Personality Types

October 29, 2015

There are many things to consider when you are planning to have a team building.  One of these is the characteristics of the team and its members. Defining personality types is the act of classifying people according to common behaviors or traits and can help people understand their strengths, preferences, learning styles and sometimes give guidance toward your ideal career.

The most famous personality classification is the Briggs Myers definitions of 16 personalities. These definitions are based on Carl Jung’s theory of psychological types, and personalities research of Isabell Brigg Myers and K.C Briggs and categorize every person into a 4-letter personality profile.

More commonly, a simplified reference is for 4 personality types – A, B, C or D. 

 

What are the traits of each type?

 

A Personality

 

Individuals who has the “A” personality type likes being in charge. They always want control over the things that might happen with their environment, their job, and their lives. Normally, people under this personlity type are not very much into details. They often want to delegate the details to others so that they can hurry and attend to some other important things. Being goal oriented is one of their strong trait. They also appear to be confident and practical when it comes to solutions and decisions they make. They have a no-nonsense approach in achieving their goals and they can often lack empathy for others.

 

B Personality

 

The most sociable types are the people with the “B” personality. They are considered to be the most outgoing and enthusiastic. They like to be around people, paying attention to their achievements and complimenting them for it are the best thing that you can do for them. Words of admiration and acknowledgement from other people matters to them. They are good with at building relationships. However, the "B" types are also thought of to be impatient. They have a relatively short attention span. They are also not very much detail oriented.

 

C Personality

 

Being detail oriented is the defining characteristic of people with the “C” personality. They really like doing things and acitivities that are controlled and stable. They are known to have prefer when it comes to logic, procedures, accuracy, protocol and rationality. Individuals with this type of personality often dislike being around people who are full of “hype” because they don't want the easy-going style. People with the "C" personality are more careful, they tend to look at all aspects of an issue before taking a stand. They are also resourceful and excellent thinkers.

 

D Personality

 

People with the “D” personality are the non risk takers. They usually stick to the things that works for them. They prefer the easy pace and seeks for a secure and stable environments especially on their jobs. They are more than happy to perform routine tasks because they belive that the process of repetition makes them a more skilled worker. They don't give up easily on their jobs because they prefer the stability and longeivity. Respect, acceptance and sincere admiration from other people matters for them and they usually work hard to ear it. Most "C" type individuals are patient. They can be good listeners which is why a lot of people trusts them. Their perseverance in finishing a task also needs to be commended because they will be the one to stay when all others have already given up. They like working in a team and will serve as the stabilizing force within the group.

 

Why is it important to have a mixture of the personality types in a team?

Whether you have plans for a team building in Adelaide, Melbourne, or Brisbane, it is strongly recommended that you should know these personality types. It is important to have a mixture of personalities in a team so there is not a dominant display of a few traits because nothing would be achieved if there were just the same personality type. Ideally, you want a combination of Protectors, Creators, Intellectuals and Visionaries, and Extraverted and Introverted personalities. 

 

Because each personality type has different management styles, learning styles, difficulties, behavior under stress it is a great opportunity to share knowledge and improve communication.

 

Techniques for including all personality types in a learning environment

• Balance your presentations using the right amount of visuals and texts

• For intraverts, people who learns through listening, give them ample time before asking direct questions. You can ask them the questions once they’ve had a chance to think about the materials they've been presented with.

• Make sure that you're presentation strategy is well thought of. You cand send your initial ideas to your team via email. This will give them enough time to study and reflect before the presentation.

• The use of vivid language and stories are also helpful when delivering a talk. It will keep your audience more interested.

• For people who wants to talk a lot during discussions, you will need to acknowledge their ideas and incorporate it into your presentation. Keep in mind that you need to take charge of the conversation as the presenter.

• Giving your audience a notepad for taking notes is also helpful.

Beyond the Boardroom has a superb range of team-building activities in Perth, Sydney, Brisbane, and other suburb in Australia that inspire participation from all personality types, and our activities will allow team members to use their personality strengths to contribute to the overall team success.